GCU 114 Religion in Finland The main religion of the citizens in Finland is the Evangelical Lutheran Church with

80 percent of the population being a member of this church. Lutheranism is the oldest Protestant denomination and was started by Martin Luther in 1517 when he posted his 95 Theses to protest the corruption of the Catholic Church (ReligionFacts, n.d., para. 4). This religion is one of many denominations of Christianity which believes that Jesus was the son of God and died on the cross for the sins of man. Lutheranism quickly spread through Germany and Scandinavia. This Protestant movement could soon be found throughout Europe. Martin Luther was originally looking to reform the church rather than cause a split but when this failed, he continued to deliver his message even though he was excommunicated and his life was threatened (ReligionFacts, n.d., para. 4). During the spread of Lutheranism, Finland was conquered back and forth between Russia and Sweden before finally gaining independence in 1917.

While a very large number of Finlands population is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, this number is declining by about 1 percent annually (Korpela, 2012, para. 1). This decline can be

attributed to some immigration into Finland of peoples from other countries. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland is trying to help the Finnish people adapt and accept the newcomers instead of making xenophobic statements. Irja Askola, bishop of Helsinki and Finlands first female bishop said, Ecumenically, Finland is a model country, and our dialogue has grown to encompass interfaith aspects. I encourage everyone to approach foreign cultures and religions with an open heart, healthy curiosity and genuine hospitality. (Korpela, 2012, para. 7). This shows the new role that the church is taking on in Finland. The church is now the one of the most common providers of family counseling and plays a vital part in professional crisis work. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland does not have a direct impact on the government but they do aim to get involved in societal issues. Our job is not to express opinions about the political questions of the day, but rather to get decision-makers to notice the plight of the weakest members of society, says Askola (Korpela, 2012, para. 4). The heads of the church in Finland have even taken a fairly liberal stance on same sex marriages.

Lutheran Cathedral

Uspenski Cathedral

Sources 1. Korpella, S. (n.d.). Finnish Church aims to be down-to-earth. - thisisFINLAND. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=160099&contentlan=2&culture=en-US 2. Lutheranism. (n.d.). - ReligionFacts. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/denominations/lutheranism.htm 3. Launis, M. (n.d.). A guide to Finnish customs and manners. - thisisFINLAND. Retrieved October 30, 2013, from http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=160036 4. Photo Uspenki Cathedral: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/finland/uspenski-orthodoxcathedral/photos/uspenski-orthodox-cathedral-cc-ja-macd 5. Photo Lutheran Cathedral: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/finland/helsinki-lutherancathedral/photos/summer-cc-ja-macd